NBA Trade Deadline: Every Timberwolves trade rumor from this week

Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans was the fourth-overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Or, as Wolves fans know it, the Ricky Rubio/Jonny Flynn/Steph Curry draft. In what ended up being a shockingly strong draft class, Evans was the Rookie of the Year award-winner following the 2009-10 season.

Evans has evolved somewhat as a player in bouncing from Sacramento to New Orleans, back to Sacramento, and now to Memphis in his ninth season in the NBA. He’s added a 3-point shot, and has drained 38.2 percent from beyond the arc since 2015-16.

Evans’ main point of attraction for Tom Thibodeau is, no doubt, his length and athleticsm that could slot in at either guard position or even the small forward spot in a grind-it-out type of matchup. The biggest issue is that the Wolves will be competing with what sounds like a hefty list of teams interested in Evans’ services, and it’s fair to wonder whether it’s worth moving the Thunder first-round pick that Minnesota acquired from Utah in the Ricky Rubio trade.

Evans could be effective as a bench piece that would play the one, two, and three, but unless Crawford is moved in the trade, he’d have to earn most of his minutes at small forward, and there aren’t all that many minutes to go around there with Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins playing so many minutes.

Expect Evans to be traded by this afternoon, but don’t expect it to be to Minnesota.